Steering and propelling means for wagons.



M.-T. SUPAN. STEERING AND 'PROPBLLING MEANS EUR wAGoNs.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 16, 1913. 1,1 16,644, Patented Nov. 10, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE MORRIS PETERS m7,. PHOTO-I ITHO.. WASHINGTON, D, c.

i M. T. SUPAN. STEERING AND PROPELLING MEANS'FOR. WAGONS.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO.16. 1913.

1,116,644. Patented N0v.10,1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TH l. NORRI; PETERS 6:7u PHOTUJJTIM., WASHINGTON, n. C.

M. T. sUPA-N. STEERING AND PROPBLLING MEANS FOR W'AGONS.

APPLICATION FILED DHL-16, 1913.

1, 1 1 6,644. Patented N0v.110, 1914..`

3 SHEETSSHEBT 3;

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@ilmenau STATES FFC. 7

MILTON fr. seran, or :ann BLUFF, CALIFORNIA.

STEERING AD PROPELLING MEANS FOR WAGONS.

nimeer.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 19.1.4.

`A1115licatima led December 1G, 1913. Serial No. 806,974.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that ll, MILTON T. Soran, a

` citizen of the Unitedltates5 residing at lied Bluff, in the State of California, have in` This invention relates to steering devices for ordinary road wagons which have been equipped with self-propelling means and an object of the invention is to provide a steen ing wheel connected tothe ordinary iiftlr wheel of a road wagon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a steering gear of such character as will permit the rotation of the axle-tree upon which the foreswheels are mounted, as distinguished from the ordinary construction of self-propelled vehicle where the `fore axle is rigid with the chassis.

With these and other objects which will appear hereinafter, the invention resides in the combinations and arrangements of parts set forth in the description and claimed in the drawings, where similar reference characters designate corresponding parts and wherein one embodiment of my inventionis shown.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ordinary road wagon with my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the road wagon shown in Fig. 1. Fig. Z3 is a vertical transverse section through the wagon on line 3--3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. F 4 is an enlarged plan view of the steering gear for iing` the subject matter of this invention and F ig. 5 is a detail View showing the stationary parts of the steering gear.

This invention consists essentially in pivoting at a suitable point on the ordinary fifth wheel one end of a rack the teeth of which mesh with a pinion rotatably mountedupon the usual center-pole, any .suitable means being provided for turning the pinion. .A roller may be used to insure engage ment between `the rack and pinion.

In the drawings. 1 designates the body of the ordinary road wagon which may be used for hauling freight when equipped as hereinafter set forth, 2 and 3 the front and. rear bolster, respectively, -i the rear axle-tree and 5 the usual center-pole towhich is secured the hounds 6. The rear wheels 7-7 are mounted on the axle-tree f1 while the forewheels 8 8 are mounted bn the forward axle-tree 9 moving about the bolt 10. As shown in Figs. 2 `and 3, the forward axletree has rigidly secured thereto hounds `11 and 12 lying one upon each side of the cene ter-pole and having their rear ends, connect ed to guide bars 13 between which passes thecentenpole 5.

ll-ivotally connected tol one of the forward hounds as 11 adjacent the guide bars 13' and remote from the forward axletree is a rack 111, the free end of which is provided with teeth 15. Secured to the under side of the center-pole is a housing lo (see Figs. 2, f1- and substantially U-shaped between the parallel sides 1T of which is rotatably mounted a pinion 18 having teeth 19 which mesh with teeth 15 of the rack 1li. rlhe rack passes between the sides 1T of the housing and. is guided thereby to register with the pinion. Movabiy `mounted in the housing is a roller 20 which engages theback straight edge of the rack 1l. Secured to the pinion 18 and extending through the center pole. to the interior of the wagon body is a steering rod 21 which may be used to rotate the pinion when it is desired to move the ack to turn the fore axle-tree. T he hounds 11 and 12 and the guide bars 13 are shown herein but obviously other forms of fifth wheels could. be used with the rack and pinion without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Any form of driving mechanism may be used to propel the wagon, but i have shown an ordinary gas engine 22 having driving shaf; 23, the lower end of which has a bearing and carries a. bevel pinion 2i meshing with a corresponding bevel pinion Q5 rigid with thecounter-shaft mounted rotatal'ily upon the wagon body on the under side thereof. i

Sprockets 27 are mounted one on each end of the counter shaft and drive chains tra ined over larger sprocket wheels Q9 bolted to the spokes of the rear wheels 7. Shifting rod '30 operated by hand lever 31 is connected to shifter-s carrying clutch inembers 33 adapted to engage clutch members 311- rigid with the small sprockets QT. Springs 8.3 may be mounted upon the counter shaft to insure satisfactory operation of the driving clutches. Of course, other equipment may be associated with the driving inechw nisln but the mechanism shown will serve to illustrate an operative vehicle.

The operation of the steering gear is thought to be self-evident, the rotating of pinion 18, byy the steering rod driving rack 11i inwardly or outwardly as the case may be, this movement of the rack causing a corresponding movement of the fore-aXle-tree.

What I claim is A steering gear including a cent-ral reachpole, an axle-tree centrally pivoted to said central reach-pole at its forward end, a housing fixed to said reach-pole and having arranged therein a pinion also a rotary heal1w ing spaced from said pinion, hounds having its lateral members fixed tosaid axletree, said lateral members having fixed to their rear ends spaced parallel bars between which is received said reach-pole, a rack piv- AoteLd at :oneiendto` one `.of 4saidlateral members near its rear end, said rack extending through said housing intermediate said pinion and rotary bearing and held in engagefment with said pinion by the latteryand MILTON T. SUPAN.

' Witnesses:

` W.` P. JOHNSON, HAZEL l BREARCLIFFE.

Copies of this patent may be obtainedv for ve-eents each, by addressing the Commissioner of intents,

`Washingtomll). C. 

